


Somebody to Love

by bazllton



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Kurt, Coffee, Customer Blaine, Dorks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Happy, M/M, Meet-Cute, New York City, just two dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1950648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bazllton/pseuds/bazllton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Klaine Coffee shop AU in which Kurt is a barista and Blaine is a dorky customer. Basically just lots and lots of fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kurt walked into the quiet café- a small place very much tucked away in a corner of otherwise bustling New York City- and sighed contentedly.

After moving to the city to attend NYADA he had regularly frequented this cozy little place (often more than once a day, even) when needing a fix of caffeine. Although he hadn’t needed to worry too much about finances at first, relying heavily on savings, he soon found himself struggling to support himself. After graduation he was grasping at straws in between various acting and singing gigs, so when he realised the coffee shop he visited so much anyway was hiring, he jumped at the opportunity. He submitted his résumé and voilà! He, Kurt Hummel, was the new barista of Brewed- New York City’s smallest coffee shop. 

He wasn’t initially supposed to be working this shift, but someone had called in sick at the last minute and his manager had called Kurt up. Kurt, who was not one to turn down an opportunity to make more money (in the words of his old friend Artie, “Gotta get that dolla, yo!”) It was a later shift than he was used to, the last shift of the day in fact, but he didn’t mind. All that that meant was that there were even less customers than usual and he could just relax for a while.

Kurt, humming Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ to himself, strolled into the staffroom to pick up his apron and drop off his bag and coat- slightly damp from the Autumnal drizzle outside. Walking back to the counter he managed to stub his toe. Hard. 

“Fuck!” He hissed, hopping around on one leg to rub his throbbing toe better. A deep chuckle stopped him immediately and a blush started to rise high on his pale cheeks. Kurt stood, brushed himself off and tried to regain his dignity. It didn’t last long.

“Are you okay?” The stranger asked, a smirk still plastered on his face. Although the guy was totally being an asshole (you shouldn’t laugh when people hurt themselves! Does no one know basic manners anymore?!) Kurt had to admit that he was incredibly hot. The man had gentle features and a mischievous look on his face, a mop of dark curly hair which he had evidently tried to tame with gel, and he was wearing an adorable pink bow tie. 

“Yes. Thanks,” Kurt replied- trying not to check the guy out any more, “Can I help you?”

“Yes! Could I have a hot chocolate please? I knew I should’ve worn more layers-I can barely feel my arms!” The stranger had one of the most expressive faces Kurt had ever seen, and he articulated every single word clearly without sounding like a snob. He had also lost the smirk and his features had settled into a welcoming smile.  
Okay, maybe this guy wasn’t a total asshole… 

“Sure, do you want whipped cream on top?” 

“Of course! I’m Blaine by the way.”

“Kurt.”

And so Kurt piled a sky-high amount of cream onto the rich hot cocoa, topped it with a generous handful of rainbow sprinkles, and then put the mug of drink onto his favourite heart shaped saucer- which he usually never gave out to customers for fear they might break it. This was bad.  
Blaine paid for his drink, a blush starting to appear on his cheeks this time, and took it over to the little table in the corner of the shop. The one underneath the canvas print of some obscure British castle. Kurt’s favourite table.

Almost an hour and a half went by- Kurt running various errands and trying not to stare at Blaine the entire time. Blaine had since finished his drink and had become absorbed in a thick novel he had reached out of his satchel. When Kurt had gone to retrieve the empty mug Blaine had looked up at him and grinned, and Kurt felt his heart flutter inside of his chest. 

Finding himself with nothing to do (only one other person had come in since Blaine, and they had only wanted to use the toilets), Kurt decided to be brave. He cut a slice of his favourite red velvet cake and took a deep breath. (This was ridiculous, he never got anxious!) He strode across the room to Blaine’s little reading corner and cleared his throat.


	2. Chapter 2

“Here. On the house.”

“Oh! Thanks… Why?” 

“Would I be being too forward if I said it’s because I wanted an excuse to talk to you?” 

Blaine grinned, pushing his things to one side of the table. “I don’t think so.” 

Kurt had to catch his breath. Blaine looked so unbelievably adorable when he was smiling like that, and the fact that the smile was aimed at Kurt made his whole body fill with joy. He sat down opposite the other man and opened his mouth- “So, come here often?”

They spoke for over an hour, covering everything from their favourite colours to where they were born, from their childhood best friends to their pet peeves. Luckily no more customers showed up, and so they could concentrate on each other for the whole time. Finally, though, it was time for Kurt to leave and close up the shop.

 

Outside, it was raining once more. Kurt and Blaine stood opposite each other; both huddled under layers and layers of clothing to keep out the night’s bitter cold.  
Kurt knew he wanted this to continue, he wanted to fall in love with this dark haired man and spend more of New York’s dismal winter with him. He wanted to really get to know him. He just wanted to be his friend, if nothing more. Kurt fumbled around in his pocket for his phone, almost dropping it in the progress, and opened up his contacts.

“Ah… Can I have your number?” 

Once again, Blaine grinned (Kurt couldn’t get over how much he did that). “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to ask!” 

Once the number exchange was completed, the two men were back to standing in silence.

“I guess I’ll see you around.” For the first time since Kurt had met him, Blaine looked uncertain. It was adorable. 

“I guess you will. But hey, if you laugh at me again when I’m in terrible pain I don’t think we can be friends,” Kurt said with a wink, causing Blaine to laugh and revert back to his  
usual grin. “I really should get going; I have a long night of TV watching to do. Goodnight, Blaine.”

“Night Kurt,” Blaine replied as Kurt began to turn away, “I’ll text you!”

Despite the rain, Kurt smiled all the way home to his apartment. 

 

When he was finally inside, comfy clothes on and curled up on the couch, he checked his phone. 

NEW MESSAGE:  
‘Try not to stub your toe again before we see each other next. I want to make sure I’m there ;) -Blaine’ 

Kurt snort-laughed loudly, something that had he not been alone he would have been terribly embarrassed about, and quickly tapped out a reply. 

‘Aww look at you, it’s only been an hour and already you’re worried about my safety. Adorable ;)’ 

Kurt’s phone buzzed again almost immediately.

‘That’s me ;) Night Kurt, sweet dreams x’

‘Goodnight Blaine xo’ 

Kurt put his phone down, a grin plastered onto his face and a warm feeling in his stomach, and picked up the television remote. He tried to watch the show that was on (something about a really rich guy who couldn’t get a date) but all he could think about was a pair of golden eyes and a huge smile. He kept thinking back to the events of the coffee shop and giggling despite himself. He couldn’t seem to do anything without his thoughts going back to Blaine. 

Eventually Kurt gave up on attempting to watch whatever show that was playing. Instead, he made himself a mug of warm milk and patted to his bedroom, curling up on his king-size bed with his journal and a pen. 

That night, Kurt went to sleep with a smile on his face and, for the first time in a while, he felt truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finally up! I really need to start writing regularly, I'm so rusty.   
> Anyway, once again this is my first time attempting to write fanfiction so any comments and/or criticism is welcome.  
> Thank you for reading!  
> -J x


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! This is the longest chapter yet, I hope you enjoy!

Almost five days went by with no contact except a few witty text messages here and there. On the fifth day, however, Kurt could no longer handle his impatience.

The few seconds Kurt had to wait until Blaine answered the phone call seemed to stretch much longer than in reality, and Kurt grew more nervous the longer it took.

“Hello?” Blaine sounded breathless, like he’d just been working out.

“Hi! This is Kurt.” This came out as a squeak, despite Kurt’s desperate attempts to seem casual.

Blaine chuckled, making Kurt’s stomach swoop. “Yes, I see that. iPhone’s have caller ID.”

“Oh, right. Ah… Right. Um, so, do you wanna-maybe-meet-up-some-time-today?”

Another chuckle. “Sorry? I didn’t quite catch that.” Kurt could practically hear Blaine’s smirk. Asshole.

“Would you like to meet up today? We could get coffee at my work, or somewhere else. I mean, it’s really your choice-” Kurt cut himself off; he really needed to work on his rambling.

“Coffee at Brewed sounds great,” Kurt breathed out a huge sigh of relief “When shall we meet up?”

Glancing at the clock, it was 11AM, he thought for a moment. “How’s 3 o’clock?”

“Perfect. See you there. Oh, and Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re cute when you ramble.” And with that, Blaine hung up, leaving Kurt to gawp at his phone with a mixture of embarrassment and joy.

 

At exactly 3 o’clock Kurt stepped into the coffee shop. After an hour and a half of trying on every outfit in his arsenal (who would have thought Kurt Hummel would be unsure of what to wear?) he had picked out a comfy-and-warm-yet-high-fashion outfit complete with one of his many scarves. Looking around, his eyes fell almost immediately on one Mr Blaine Anderson. Blaine was sitting at the same table as their first meeting, two coffee cups perched upon it, and looking more adorable than before, if that was at all possible.

Seeming to sense Kurt’s presence, Blaine looked over and, seeing Kurt, grinned and jumped up. When Kurt reached the table, Blaine said a brief but sincere ‘hi’ and pulled out Kurt’s chair; ever the gentleman. Kurt thanked him and sat, feeling himself grinning back. Blaine’s grin was contagious.

“So, hi!” Kurt said, still smiling. As soon as he saw Blaine he felt so happy it almost made him giddy.

“Hi yourself! I hope you don’t that I ordered your drink for you, I had an idea of what you might like. You look very good today, by the way.”

Kurt blushed (what with the rambling and the blushing he probably looked like a teenager, in fact, Blaine made him feel like a teenager again). “I don’t mind at all, I’m sure I’ll love whatever you ordered. And thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” he replied, letting his eyes linger slightly longer on Blaine’s body before snapping back up to look back into those gorgeous honey eyes.

“Thank you. So how’ve you been? Stubbed your toe again?”

Ignoring that last comment, Kurt answered breezily, “I’ve been okay. Catching up on my sleep mostly. I’ve got the week off from work and haven’t really had much to do apart from watch crappy reality TV and laze around. How about you, how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been fine. I joined a gym, actually. I was there this morning when you rang me, in fact.”

That explained the breathlessness then. “Oh? Didn’t have you for the lifting weights kind of guy.”

“I box, actually. Don’t look at me like that, I’m being serious! I could take you along next time I go, prove it to you.”

Kurt, still surprised, gasped out a laugh. “I believe you, you don’t have to prove it. I might take you up on that offer though. I’m sure it would be better than staying in my apartment all day.” Plus, Kurt definitely was not going to pass up an opportunity to see Blaine all hot and sweaty. He was only human, after all.

A companionable silence fell over them after that, both sipping their drinks (Blaine had ordered Kurt a white chocolate mocha, one of his favourites) and thinking. After a moment, something dawned on Kurt. He realised that he didn’t know why Blaine was in New York, even after the lengthy discussion they had had before.

“Hey, Blaine?” Blaine looked at Kurt expectantly. “You never told me what you’re doing in New York. What’s your story?”

“Oh! Didn’t I? I’m at NYADA studying Music Theatre. I’m a senior now; I’ll be graduating pretty soon. I can’t believe I didn’t tell you after you told me you went there.”

“Oh wow, that’s great! How have you found it? I can’t believe we didn’t meet sooner- if I was a senior when you were a junior we should have seen each other at some point. I mean, it’s not exactly a huge school”

“I know! It’s so weird, but hey, at least we’ve met now,” at this point Blaine winked and Kurt found himself blushing yet again, “I’ve found it great. Full-on, but great. I’m not exactly looking forward to graduating and being thrust into the real world. Although I will be glad to see the back of Miss July, that woman is insufferable.”

Kurt giggled, although he’d never had to deal with Miss July personally (he wasn’t advanced enough of a dancer to be in one of her classes) he had heard enough about her from others (namely Rachel Berry) that he understood. Her teaching was unorthodox and most of the time unnecessarily strict. She was also one of the best teachers at NYADA.

 

They talked for over an hour more, mostly sharing NYADA stories and experiences. When Blaine said he was getting hungry and asked Kurt if he would be interested in coming back to his apartment with him to have dinner, Kurt, although his mind was reeling at the possibilities for what 'dinner' could mean, agreed enthusiastically. 

As they walked to the door of the coffee place, Blaine turned to Kurt with his signature grin. "You know, Kurt, I really like you. I mean, I know this is technically only our first date but I feel like you understand me more than most people do after years. So, thank you, I guess. Anyway, lets get going. I make a delicious lasagne, if I do say so myself." 

And with that, Kurt's cheeks now positively burning and Blaine successfully driving him speechless, they started the journey to Blaine's place. Somewhere along the way, Kurt admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe, he was falling in love. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

When Kurt woke up in his own apartment the following day he had a smile on his face. The previous night had been magical. Blaine had cooked an amazing meal (Kurt was starting to wonder if that man was even real) and afterwards they’d ended up on Blaine’s couch watching Disney’s The Aristocats. However, nothing more than snuggling had happened before Kurt had decided with a heavy heart that he had to leave. New York may be a fairly accepting place but he still didn’t like walking through it at night; just a few weeks ago a young gay man had been seriously injured after a homophobic brute decided to beat him up for no reason other than the poor guy’s sexuality.  
Kurt and Blaine had hugged goodbye at the door, a closer and more lingering hug than one shared between friends, and Blaine had made him promise to text him as soon as he was home safe.  
Kurt felt giggly thinking about it, but was soon pulled back into the present when an excruciating pain stabbed him in the stomach, and then the tell-tale feeling of bile rose in his throat causing him to run to the toilet.  
After throwing up, Kurt collapsed onto the bathroom floor and whimpered. There was absolutely nothing he hated more than getting sick. Trying not to sob or move too suddenly he got up and fell down onto his couch, where he proceeded to cover himself in a fluffy blanket. He had no idea what was happening- he hadn’t been this sick since he was a little kid. He barely had the strength to hold his head up, and his stomach was throbbing and making angry grumbling noises.  
Kurt decided that going back to sleep was the best idea whilst he was like this, and he thanked every God under the stars that he didn’t have work later that day.  
Just as he was drifting off, however, his phone rang. It was Blaine.  
‘Hello?’ Even to himself, Kurt sounded awful.  
‘Kurt? Are you okay?’ Kurt had to admit, Blaine’s concern for him was adorable.  
‘I’m sick. I feel awful. Are you okay? What were you calling for?’  
‘Oh I’m fine, I was just calling to ask if you have any plans for tonight but that doesn’t matter anymore. Are you alone?’  
‘Um, yes…’  
‘Okay, I’m coming over. You can’t be alone when you’re sick. I’ll be about an hour.’  
‘Wait! You don’t have to; I’ll be fi-’ Blaine hung up before Kurt could finish arguing, leaving him to groan in frustration. He didn’t want Blaine to see him like this! He had to admit, though, that he wouldn’t mind being doted on right now.

Kurt woke up abruptly to the sound of his front door opening. Panicking, he sat up straight so quickly that his head rushed and his stomach swooped with the feeling of nausea.  
“Hey, hey, it’s just me. The door was unlocked.”  
Blaine. Kurt lay back down with a groan. “Oh God. I can’t believe you’re here while I’m like this. You’re the worst.”  
“Oh hush. I brought soup! And flu medicine! And vitamins. And Lady and The Tramp because Disney movies are the cure for everything.”  
“Blaaaaaine. You really didn’t have to do any of this. I would have been fine on my own.”  
“I know, but I wanted to. Besides, I hate being alone when I’m sick and I’m sure you’re no different.” At this, Kurt gave up. He was too tired to argue anyway.  
He heard Blaine working the microwave and before he knew it a steaming hot mug of soup was being thrust in front of him. Kurt attempted to reach out and grab it but as soon as Blaine saw how much his hands were shaking he reached out and gently stopped him.  
“Here,” he said, sitting down on the couch next to Kurt, “let me help.”  
Kurt, cocooned in a nest of blankets and cushions sat up and warily leaned against Blaine, who smiled at him encouragingly. Blaine brought the mug of soup gently to Kurt’s lips and helped him to tilt his head back and take a sip. Instantly, Kurt felt his body warm up from inside- the way that only a hot mug of soup could be responsible for. He sighed and allowed himself to relax further into the warm embrace of Blaine’s arms.  
“Thank you.”  
“It’s okay…” Before Blaine could think about how he might be overstepping his boundaries, he tenderly kissed Kurt’s temple, causing Kurt’s breath to hitch. “I’m sorry, I know I might be over-staying my welcome, and I don’t want to rush things. I just really like you Kurt, and you look cute as hell right now and-“  
Kurt shut him up with a slightly delirious and messy kiss before snorting, “I hope you don’t mind getting ill.”


End file.
